


Once in a lifetime

by LunarMagnolia



Series: Stand by me, I’ll stand by you [3]
Category: Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Comfort, F/M, Fluff, HighSpecs, Miscarriage, Post World Of Ruin, Pregnancy, Smut, World of Ruin, highspecs baby, unprotected sex, vanilla smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-12
Updated: 2017-11-29
Packaged: 2019-02-01 09:49:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12702366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunarMagnolia/pseuds/LunarMagnolia
Summary: Ignis finds out in the worst way possible that Aranea is pregnant, but it’s short lived.Aranea deals with the aftermath with Ignis’ help.Rated E for future content and heavy themes





	1. World of Ruin

**Author's Note:**

> So... this story will be heavy. I’ll let you know this wasn’t easy to write, I put a lot of thought in it and I hope I conveyed the right emotions. 
> 
> I wrote so much I had to divide this work in three chapters (all written), so the wait till the next chapter won’t be long should you find this episode of the serie interesting. I’ll try to update next Sunday, if time allows me to proofread till then. 
> 
> This first chapter is just an introduction, the real thing will come afterwards. 
> 
> Let me know what you think!

It all happened in a blur.

A loud thump came from the main door. Ignis jolted up from his bed in the living room and scrambled to the source of the heavy panting that was coming from the floor. Aranea laid there agonizing. He knew it was her, call it sixth sense.

Ignis shook her lightly, calling for her. The only answers he got were pain filled moans and whimpers. Nails were digging in his forearm, pleas for just make it stop, make it stop, it hurts, it hurts, reached his ears. 

For once, the strategist was at a loss of strategies. His instinct made him lift her from the ground and take her to her bedroom first thing first. He noticed she wasn’t wearing her armor. Not entirely. 

She also smelt like she’d been bathing in blood. She surely felt a little slippery in his hands. Ignis found himself hoping the blood wasn’t hers. 

It was the first time they’d seen each other in weeks. Perhaps almost three months. Busy schedules. And this was how she came back: bleeding, trembling, incapable of breathing. 

Ignis laid her down and stripped her off of her remaining armor without even asking. He had to get her out of her metal prison one way or another and Aranea wasn’t in her right mind to do so herself. Fortunately, or unfortunately, most of it was already gone. Her legs in particular, he noticed again. 

Futile were his attempts to ask her what was wrong, what happened, where was she injured. He had to find out alone. 

Her whimpers and moans subsided when he administered a hi-elixir, the last one they had, his last hope. It worked after another full minute of pain. He stayed by her side all the time.

When Aranea was capable of breathing normally again, Ignis tried again with questions. Soft words were accompanied by a delicate hand through her hair. 

“What happened?”

“Mission went badly, as you can see.”

“I actually can’t, but still. Could you be more specific? Do you need to go to the hospital?”

“No, no hospital. Just... I just need to...”

She never finished her sentence. Ignis sensed her slipping out consciousness. Her breathing became shallow, the stench of blood filled his nostrils even more. There was a wound somewhere, but he didn’t know where. He needed to know as soon as possible. If the way she was going cold under his fingers was of any indication, he was positive she was losing lots of blood. Not good. 

Praying to the astrals and silently apologizing, Ignis let his hands wander on her body searching for the wound. Not on her face. Not on her head. Not on her chest. Not on her abdomen. Not on her back. Not on her arms. Not on her legs. The only place he didn’t check was her most intimate part. He didn’t want to touch her while unconscious, but it was necessary. 

There. Yes, of course, no hospital. Like hell. 

______ 

Two days later Aranea opened her eyes again. Ignis was at her side, sleeping with his head in his folded arms. Her mind was hazy at best, she didn’t like the sensation, not one bit. She felt something hot on her hand and just then realized Ignis was holding it. How thoughtful of him... The gesture made her lips curve up in a smile. It was nice, if she said so herself. Really, Ignis was the only person she wanted to see in that moment. How lucky she was. 

As she tried to adjust herself on the bed he must have felt her stirring. He immediately sat up, catching her attention. She regretted wanting him close on the spot. What if he was mad at her? What if he started lecturing her, she wasn’t in the right condition to survive one of his lectures.  
He didn’t say anything though, his expression blank. That made a shiver run down her spine. Did he know..? 

She looked around and at herself. She was in a white bed, in a white room, soft beeping coming from a machine on her right. If the tubes connected to her arms gave her any clue, she was in a hospital. The last place she wished she were, but it was too late. 

Her eyes wandered again on Ignis. He was waiting for her to speak, obviously. But what could she say? 

“Hey Specs, long time no see.”  
Her voice felt so wrong, all raspy and quiet. 

“Indeed.” 

“How long was I out?”

“Two days.”

“Uh, Cor’s gonna give me so much shit for this...” 

She joked and chuckled weakly, but Ignis didn’t find it the least amusing, that much she could tell.  
His hand never left hers and she let him hold it. There was a sense of comfort coming from that gesture and she was kind of glad for it. 

Another minute of silence. She knew she had to talk sooner or later. It just wasn’t easy.  
Fortunately, Ignis was a patient man. Aranea really didn’t feel like talking, but she guessed she had to power it through. Better sooner than later.

“So... how much do you know?” 

“You tell me.” 

A sigh couldn’t help escaping from her lips. He was gonna play it tough, wasn’t he? He sounded pretty upset. Aranea couldn’t blame him. She would have done the same. 

“First of all, it’s not your fault.” When he didn’t answer, she continued. “Shit happens. Even I didn’t notice at the beginning you know? It just sort of came to me when my period stopped coming. I thought it was about damn time, I’m not exactly that young anymore-“

“You’re 36.” 

“Too close to 40 for my comfort. Still. It was late as hell, I just assumed it was time. Then the back pain started, I couldn’t keep down water, you know, the usual shit. It hit me when my belly grew and my abs weren’t showing anymore. My armor felt wrong, I couldn’t manage to kill a fucking goblin without feeling utterly exhausted by the end of the battle.”

“Then of course, on the way back a hoard of daemons attacked the convoy we were escorting. I had to fight, even knowing that I shouldn’t have if I wanted to keep it. Thing is, I wasn’t certain I actually wanted to. I was gonna mention it as soon as I came back home. What, I swear!” 

“Please, continue.”

“Ugh, fine . Long story short, a daemon decided it would be a great idea to impale me with his katana, right in my stomach. I thought nothing of it, my uncomfortable armor protected me, so I got a potion and went to kill the damn bastard.”

“Just when I got on the main door I felt pain for the first time.”

Talking was becoming a chore. Something tightened in her chest, the weight of the situation finally dropping on her. Aranea closed her eyes taking a deep breath, remembering how it felt. Awful. Terrible. Like the infernian himself had her burning in his eternal flames. 

She felt the grip on her hand tighten. That made her look at Ignis, who was staring at her with an unreadable expression plastered on his face. How she hated it. In that moment especially. What was he thinking? Did he blame her? Was there something wrong? Did he have something to say? 

When he stayed silent again, she resumed in a hushed voice. If she raised it the whole world would crumble around her. 

“I looked down and I noticed I was bleeding. Not from my stomach where the daemon hit me, lower. My legs were soaked, I started to panic, and then... then I felt like my own organs were going to squeeze their way out of my... you know. After that I only remember falling inside the apartment and you carrying me to bed. That’s all.” 

Aranea noticed Ignis’ blank gaze shift towards their joint hands, still dead silent. It unnerved her.  
She resisted for about twenty seconds before snapping.

“Just say something!”

“How do you feel about it?”

Aranea didn’t even try to hide her surprise.  
“What?”

“I said, how do you feel about it?”

Now it was her turn to stay silent. How did she feel about it? She absolutely had no idea. Aranea looked down at herself, and that was all she needed to have an actual answer. 

Her eyes immediately shut, the grip on Ignis’ hand tightening for a split second. The words that came out of her mouth were a surprise even for her own self. The floodgates of her heart sprung open, but she could trust Ignis with her thoughts. She knew that for a fact. She could let go and she did.

“Honestly, I didn’t even know I could get pregnant. I thought they had experimented on me enough, even though I still had my period. It never occurred to me that one day I could become a mother, mainly because of my lifestyle. I mean, me, a mother? With a child in my arms while battling daemons and risking my life on a daily basis, could you picture that?”

A bitter laugh found its way through her lips.

“I was convinced of it until I understood I was pregnant. Then I started wondering if I could do it. Raise a child, I mean. I probably could. Then I could keep it, although I still felt like giving it a bit of thought. The world isn’t exactly a nice place nowadays, but then again, I’m not getting any younger either. I thought that this could have been my only chance. I was going to actually choose after taking with you about it, I resolved.”

“Then I lost it. Guess fate decided for me. That filthy bitch.” 

Another bitter laugh. Even more bitter than than the other one. She felt like crying all of a sudden, but she didn’t want to. There was nothing to cry about. There never was. It was always a fantasy, a nice dream, it was time to wake up. 

She looked anywhere but where Ignis was sitting. Aranea didn’t want to face him. He was being awfully quiet, probably analyzing the whole thing again and again. She let him. It’s not like she wanted to start talking again. 

“Why would you want to talk with me about it?” 

Aranea finally regarded him with an unimpressed look, scrutinizing him from head to, well, chest since she was lying in a bed. 

“Like you don’t already know, four eyes.”

“Still I don’t see how I could have any effect on your decision. It’s your body, your choice. I would have respected your decision and helped you any way I could.”

“Maybe I wanted to hear another opinion, how about it?” She found herself snapping again. “But who cares now, it’s gone. No choice to make.”

Ignis became quiet again to let her fume. She had never appreciated silence more.

His mind was going a thousand miles a minute as he realized the gravity of the situation. Aranea was pregnant with a child, but not any child: his own. Or better, she had been pregnant with his child, but then she lost it. What if she didn’t? What if she never lost it and decided to keep it? That would make him a father. 

At first he felt uneasy. Would he be a good father? A blind man? He’d never see his child, he wouldn’t be able to help much with anything really. Aranea would do mostly alone and that wasn’t fair. If Ignis ever became a father, he would want to help till the last bit he could, not be a burden. 

But he could learn. He would have nine months to prepare and be a better dad to his child. He did relearn to fight with his eyes closed, quite literally. What could be worse than that? 

Did he really want to be a father, though? Having a little half copy of him roaming around the house, calling him ‘dad’ and Aranea ‘mom’, a tiny creature calling for him when they needed anything, bedtime stories... that sounded awfully good. Peaceful. Like a fairytale. 

But like Aranea said, the world wasn’t peaceful. They risked their lives daily, how could they be parents? Plus he was waiting for Noctis’ return and that could happen anytime. His duty would call and who knew where it would take him. Perhaps not now. But later? 

Ignis had never given a thought about a family on his own, nor he’d actively searched for a partner to settle down. But with Aranea? Maybe that could do. Not a romantic partner, he never thought her as such, but raise a child with her, that maybe could be done. She’d be a great mother in his opinion. Maybe..? 

As his mind raced they remained with their hands intertwined all the time, not saying a word. There weren’t many to speak.

Just when Aranea was starting to drift off a bit, tired and lulled by the silence, a quiet whisper came from Ignis. 

“What about trying again later? If you want to.”

Wasn’t he always full of surprises, Aranea thought. She grinned amused and a bit touched.

“With you, Specs?”

Ignis burned three shades of dark red. What an innocent dear. She liked when he blushed. More when she made him blush. 

“I-if that’s what you desire, although I didn’t imply in any way that-“

“At ease, I’m teasing you.” Aranea smiled at him although her smile did not quite reach her eyes. Not that he wouldn’t know better. Would she want to try again later? The idea wasn’t bad per se, but she couldn’t shake off the feeling that this was a tantum. It would never happen again. 

She was about to reply to shoot him down, telling him that yes, that would be nice but it was impossible and he shouldn’t worry about it. But when she glanced at his flushed face something in her heart moved. 

Why would he offer if he didn’t want to be father? Maybe he did want to? Oh gods she didn’t want to disappoint him, but neither get his hopes up. Plus, with her? A reckless mercenary? He could really do better. 

But then again. He was asking her, so maybe he wouldn’t take part in the thing. Aranea was fine with that, but she knew deep down that Ignis would never leave her alone with a child. For different reasons, probably. 

She replied with the only thing that her heart suggested.

“Thank you.” 

Now it was his turn to smile. Softly, gently, with his face still a bit red. She’d done well.

“My pleasure.”

_____________

“You know, Ignis, maybe this is all an excuse.”

Aranea said one day while she sat on the bed, cross legged and with another pregnancy tester in her hand. It had been a couple of months since the accident and a couple of weeks or so of trying. Always negative. Perhaps this time...

“What do you mean?”

“I mean maybe I’m just tired of being a soldier. Fighting. Killing. Barking out orders. Maybe I’m using this baby thing just to have a solid excuse for being away from the battlefield. You know I just can’t walk away and turn my back to my men for just being tired.”

“I know Aranea, I understand your concerns.”

Ignis sat near her on the edge of the bed, one of his hand soothingly caressing her leg. If what she said was more than just a hypothesis, he started hoping for another negative test. He had imagined that sooner or later some kind of worry could form in her head. But still, they had to verify if it was an actual thing or not. No need to fret over imaginary things.

“I believe your men would understand if you told them you need some time off, pregnancy or not. They probably need it too. You and your team have been of great help in these years of darkness, but you are not alone in managing the rescue missions. There are others ready to temporarily take your place, and gladly so. Your work will be waiting for you once you feel ready to get back on the field again.” 

Aranea fell silent for a couple of moments, mulling over his words. If she was being truthful, she knew she had been on the field for far too long to just let it go all at once. She would miss it after a little while. Ignis was right and Aranea agreed with him, but still, this baby. If it wasn’t because she wanted to rest, then why else? 

“Why else would I want to bring a baby in this world then? For what selfish reason? Because I’m not getting any younger and I couldn’t survive a pregnancy later on? I mean, for what I know it probably was just an accident that time. Maybe it won’t ever happen again and I was right about not getting actually pregnant.”

“And how does this make you feel?”

Again with the feeling talk. Aranea threw a quite annoyed side glance at him biting back a sigh. She guessed it was his own way to help, the least she could do was trying to let him be useful by following his lead. He’d never been wrong in the past nor he’d disappointed her, maybe it was worth a shot after all. How did it make her feel not getting pregnant? Kind of inadequate, impaired, angry because she had it once and now not anymore. In a word.

“Bitter as fuck.” 

“That should tell you the real reason you want to bring a child into this world, even if it’s ruled by night and chaos.” 

“Mh yeah, because I’m a selfish bitch.” 

Ignis rolled his eye, noticing how she wasn’t actually giving it a thought. That left him with no choice, he needed to guide her and be patient. Plus he was quite sure she still wasn’t actually over her first experience, despite what she said about it. It hadn’t been long since the accident, he wouldn’t be surprised if the reason she was backing down was because she was scared it would happen again. Nevertheless, the way she was coping wasn’t bringing good results so it was time to try another approach. 

“Or, because you want to prove something. To yourself maybe. Perhaps that despite what they made of you, you are still capable of changing and evolving. Even taking care of a child grown inside your own self. If that’s the case, that would mean you would put your whole heart and soul to make sure your child can grow strong and a perfect human being. I don’t see how this could be being ‘a selfish bitch’, as you crassly put it. Furthermore, you wouldn’t be alone in this.”

Damn him. Always saying things that made her feel things. 

Aranea was about to reply when a beep came from the tester in her hand. She looked down at it and held her breath: one line. Just one. Maybe the other one took a little more time to show up?  
She knew it didn’t, but she still waited a whole minute before sighing heavily and discarding the little plastic stick on the bed. Ignis didn’t have to ask to know it was another negative.

“This discussion is useless, like we have to worry about it.”

“Aranea-“

“No, Ignis, no. I’m tired, I think I’m gonna get some sleep.” 

Before he could even open his mouth to reply she had already thrown back the covers of her bed. She slid under them, rolling over away from him.  
Ignis took a deep breath as he stood up, retrieved the tester and went to throw it in the trash can. 

This won’t do. He had to do something. If she went on the battlefield with this kind of mindset she could get injured badly and he didn’t want to find out how. She was clearly in denial, distracted, furious, and he didn’t need to see her angry silent tears to know it. 

His heart constricted in his chest as he imagined her with tears streaming down her cheeks. Oh no, he couldn’t bear it, couldn’t permit it. 

But what could he do? If she didn’t want to talk, he couldn’t force her. He considered making her favorite dish, but he needed the ingredients and it was too late to go to the market. 

Then he did the only thing he could actually do.  
He rounded the bed to kneel on the ground in front of her face, or hopefully so. He gently stroked her slightly damp cheek with his knuckles. Ignis knew she liked the gesture always, that’s why he didn’t ask for permission. Aranea stayed in fact still, letting him caress her.

“Remember I am always here for you, Aranea. If there is anything I can do to make the burden you carry a little less heavy, I will gladly do it. Tell me what you need, I will do whatever I can to procure it.”

His kind, soft whisper made Aranea’s heart melt, along with any barrier she had set around herself. 

Hot tears began flowing again from her half closed eyes. She bit her lower lip and fisted the unfortunate blanket under her. 

Ignis felt her crying, but said nothing. Instead he continued caressing her cheek, wiping away her tears. Until she found safe to speak without sobbing.

“Hope you don’t need to pee, because I need you in this bed right now and I’m not letting you go until I decide you’ve had enough.”

Her whispered order was greeted by a soft smile and a imperceptible scoff, but soon carried out.

Aranea Highwind, the woman that, before admitting that she wants to cuddle, she’ll eat you alive. Fortunately Ignis knew better. 

He took off his socks, unbuttoned his shirt a bit to stay comfortable and climbed onto the bed facing her. He opened his arms for her to cuddle up to him. Aranea didn’t need to be told twice. She wrapped an arm around his slim waist and hid her face in his chest, away from view. Not like he could see anything really, but still. 

His arms enveloped her, bringing her closer to him and stroking her back soothingly. He let her cry away all her frustration in silence. 

Why was she so frustrated? Did she want to be a mother so badly? Was it like Ignis said? That she needed to prove something to herself? Whatever the reason, she started not to care about it anymore. The only thing she knew and admitted was that she wanted to become pregnant. She wanted to feel something grow inside her again. For that little time she had it, it was the best sensation she’d ever experienced. 

She prayed to the astrals that her most intimate wish could be granted before she fell in a dreamless sleep in Ignis’ arms.  
He let her and held her all night, falling asleep himself but always keeping an eye open for her. 

They tried for years, nothing happened. They’d lost hope at some point along the way, then Noctis came back and died to restore the light. 

One day, after a long time, a second line appeared on the tester.


	2. Fateful night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ignis has a breakdown and Aranea shows him her soft side. And something else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW, this is how everything began.

And to think that the whole “baby making” part had been so fun. That was the only thing Aranea was awfully regretting when another contraction sent jolts of pure pain through her. She didn’t scream though, she refused to. She was holding onto Ignis’ arm, hand, shoulder, or whatever happened to be the nearest with one hand for dear life. The other hand clutched her swollen belly. She tried to remember how to breathe. Her head was thrown back, sweat covered her body, eyes closed shut and teeth clenched. 

Ignis’ soft words and caresses were useless, she just wanted it to end. Let the baby out and she was done for, just get out of there and we can all go home. 

Oh if she had had fun during the baby making part. The baby pushing out of her was a lot less fun. Even the nine months in a high risk pregnancy had been a lot more fun. But after all she had wanted this for the longest time. 

The night it all started they weren’t even trying. Ignis and Aranea had given up hope years prior, so they never gave a thought about protection or anything. They just rolled with it. When nature called they knew whom to ask for relief and both parties always conceded if possible. 

After the first time together Aranea had grown bolder and confident about what she wanted in bed. Same thing for Ignis. They liked to explore each other, learn what made them become putty in the other’s hands, where and how to touch to make the other squirm or gasp or make that particular noise they liked so much.  
Just because it wasn’t a regular nor exclusive thing it didn’t mean they would slack off. 

Ignis was especially restless that morning. Always doing something: dusting, cleaning, cooking, ironing, with such a speed he was done with the whole house in about four hours. He had always been a busy bee, but that particular day he wasn’t staying still, not even to eat. 

Aranea glanced up from her book at the clock on the wall: 11 am. She did ask if he wanted help but he declined, insisting that he was fine and didn’t have anything better to do anyway. It was Sunday, Ignis’ restaurant was closed. 

They both worked there. Or better, he worked full time, while she sometimes helped as a waitress. That is, when Cor didn’t call for her to train the new recruits. If she was being honest, she found stupid forming a new army. The war was completely over and Insomnia rebuilt. At the same time, however, she was glad she could still put her fighting skills at use. Aranea secretly preferred her part-time job in Ignis’ restaurant, but would never admit it. 

When Ignis paced past her for the tenth time in twenty minutes, Aranea loudly shut her book and sighed, sitting up from her comfortable spot on the sofa.

“Okay Specs, what’s up.”

It wasn’t a question, it was a firm statement, Ignis noticed. That made him stop dead in his endless wandering around the house to look in her direction. Not that he could actually see her, it was just a conditioned reflex.

“Nothing. Why?”

“Because it’s half past eleven in the damn morning, it’s Sunday, and you’ve already cleaned the entire house twice, cooked lunch plus dessert and you’ve been fucking pacing back and forth like a caged animal for the past half an hour. So yeah, spit it out, what’s wrong. And for gods’ sake stop biting your nails.”

“Oh- uh, apologies I didn’t notice...” Ignis immediately retracted his hand, surprised by what he was caught doing. He thought he wasn’t the type to bite his nails or anything, but apparently he was wrong. “I swear Aranea, I’m fine.”

“Mh yeah, and I’m 20. What are you thinking about?” 

They locked eyes for the longest time before he finally relented and sighed defeated, sitting on the sofa near her. 

It was true, he was trying to distract himself by being busy, perhaps too much. Ignis thought he was acting normally, but it looked like his nerves had taken the best of him. Aranea must have noticed, like she always did. 

He wondered why he kept trying to hide things from her even after all this time. He knew he could trust her with his thoughts and he did, but still wasn’t that inclined to share them. Force of habit probably. 

“Alright, you win.” He took a deep breath, joining his hands and hunching over with his elbows on his knees. “It’s just... it has been three years since... then. Everything is back to normal, except it really is not. Insomnia might be rebuilt, a new kind of govern has been established, everyone moved on with their life... but still something is missing.”

“When I opened the restaurant I thought it would be a fresh start. I thought I could still be of use by cooking for others like I did for Noct, I thought it would bring me the same joy. Except it doesn’t.”

“I learned to enjoy cooking, but I did for him. It was my duty to take care of him, advise him, being his brother in a certain way. Even if I ended up being more his ‘mother’ than anything else. In the end I had decided it would be that way, but now... now he is gone. I cannot always picture him when I cook, I cannot always arbitrarily decide that I am doing what I am doing for him. Because he is not here. I cannot do something for someone that this time won’t ever come back. It’s not right. Not right for the people I now cook for. They aren’t Noct. It’s not right to compare them to him and vice versa.” 

There was a long pause in which neither of them spoke. Talking about Noctis always made Ignis tense, nervous. Aranea listened to him in silence, unmoving, even when his knuckles turned white as the grip on his own hands tightened. She knew if she touched him, he would stop talking.

“It seems like I have lost my purpose. But I know, deep down, that there is more of what meets the eye for me. That doesn’t change the fact that I don’t know what is left of me right now, without him.”

The thing that made Aranea really shiver to the core was that it had been at least three years since Noctis’ death. How long had he been thinking like that? And how damn good was he at hiding it? 

She was so terrified that she couldn’t say a thing. She didn’t know how to answer his questions. Ignis was the one who could give emotional talks, she still lacked that skill. Aranea made a mental note to fucking read a book about it or something.  
When she deemed safe to move, she placed a gentle hand on his forearm. She tried to choose her words as carefully as she could muster being, well, herself.

“Listen to yourself Ignis, you just answered your own question. You want to know what’s left of you? Look deep down, where you know there’s ‘more than meets the eye’. If you ask me, I don’t think you need someone to do things for, except for your own damn self. Like you said, war’s over, kingdom restored, you’re literally off duty, retired. You’ve been committed and went even beyond your actual duties for him, out of love of course, and I’m sure he appreciate it till the end. The time of the royal adviser is over though, discharged with all the honors, it’s time for Ignis Scientia the man to rise. You’re still young, you can do whatever you want and succeed. And you’re not alone, don’t forget that you have friends around you who would gladly do anything to help.” 

Ignis fell silent for the longest minute Aranea ever lived. He was lost in his own thoughts. He knew Aranea was right. He too thought the same thing in the very back of his mind, but hearing it from another person was different. It sounded even more right. The nagging feeling in his head, however, needed a bit more of convincing. Ignis decided he wanted to ignore it for a while. 

He sighed hanging his head and gently taking Aranea’s hand in his own, fingers intertwining. She smiled softly at the gesture. It was his way to acknowledge her words and say thank you.  
She chuckled amused when he brought their joint hands on his head, silently asking her to pet his hair. She obliged, feeling very relieved.

“Come here you. Always worrying you little head.” 

Aranea let him lay down on his side on the sofa. She spooned him from behind despite her short body. One of her hands was still in his hair kneading his scalp delicately and the other arm circled his neck. He started playing with her fingers with his own, eyes half closed as he began to finally relax again. At least, Aranea thought, he was staying still now. 

Those were the moments they both cherished the most of their time together. A heart to heart and then cuddles. It brought a pleasant air of gentleness, softness, care, that they didn’t often enjoy. With one another, however, behind closed doors and away from the whole world, it was very different. 

No one knew what happened when they were home. Some imagined they generally ignored each other or out sassed one another ninety percent of the time. Many others maliciously said they fucked their way through the day. Nobody could ever picture the truth. 

When the rumors on their relationship sometimes reached their ears, they never denied them nor confirmed them. It wasn’t anybody’s business what they actually did when at home, so they never bothered sharing. Not like they would under any circumstances, mostly because of their shared reserved nature. The world could think whatever it wanted, they didn’t care. 

Eventually Ignis fell asleep in Aranea’s arms as she did holding him close to her. When they woke up, it was past two in the afternoon. They ate, cleaned the dishes, chatted a bit more over the boring news, enjoyed Ignis’ dessert, trained a bit, and in the evening they found themselves sitting on the sofa again under Ignis’ favorite fuzzy blanket, leaning on each other while reading a book. Or better, Aranea read, while Ignis listened to an audiobook and tried to follow with the braille version in his hand. 

Even with the comfortable and soothing presence of Aranea cuddled close to his side, Ignis’ mind was starting to do run wild again. Aranea noticed almost immediately, because his finger stopped and he stared blankly at the page for a solid five minutes. 

She glanced up at him, scrutinizing his face for any sign of whatever was going on in his mind, but she didn’t really need to dig that deep. Aranea already knew somehow. It was Sunday evening, almost night, the next day he had to get up and open the restaurant. He clearly was still mulling over the thing and the more time passed, the more his frown deepened. 

Aranea didn’t even try to talk to him again. He needed to think, not to hear the same words again. Still, in order to think he must relax first, otherwise he’d just end up more upset and frustrated.  
She knew what to do, the only thing that really made his head tilt first and then clear up. 

Without saying a word she gently pried the book from his hands and set it aside with her own. That was enough to make him snap back to reality momentarily. 

“Aranea, pray tell, what are you doing?” 

“Shush, you’re overthinking.” 

She said as she removed his earphones and took his phone too, letting it join the books on the coffee table. Ignis was about to protest when he felt her shift on the sofa and straddle his lap. That really shut him up.

Her hands cupped his face and she placed a gentle kiss on his scarred cheek. Ignis tensed slightly, surprised by the gesture.

A kiss on the cheek was the signal they used to ask the other for permission when they wanted to engage in any kind of sexual intercourse. Neither of them liked explicitly saying it and asking. They found it kind of embarrassing even after all that time. If the other returned the kiss, it was all clear. 

But Ignis hesitated, unsure. He didn’t feel like it if he was being honest. He just wanted to stay quiet and resume his, as Aranea called it, overthinking. But he heard her whispering as their forehead touched and that wish was soon forgotten.

“Please, let me do this for you and you only. I don’t want anything back. You need to relax.”

The way she said those words made Ignis heart leap in his chest and his protest die in his throat. She sounded so, so genuine, so caring, her tone was dripping with the softest and warmest feeling he couldn’t even name. 

Another moment of hesitation, then she placed another kiss on his forehead. Ignis couldn’t deny her as all of his barriers shattered at once. He knew it was going to be alright. She was trying to take care of him in the only way she knew. They both knew for certain it would work, the least he could do was allowing her to do it. 

His hands found her sides and he made their lips touch for the briefest moment. Aranea sighed relieved as she kissed him again and again and her hands wandered on his neck and shoulders. Her touch was featherlight like her kisses. 

Slowly he started melting under her fingers. The more he did, the more Aranea tried to be gentle so not to scare him away with any sudden movement. From his lips, her kisses wandered on his cheek, jawline, down on his neck, inch by inch followed by her hands. Eventually she let them slide to the hem of his pajama shirt and he let her take it off without a sound. 

Her ministration were so delicate he was starting to doze off. At some point she traded her spot sitting on his lap with kneeling on the floor right between his legs. All the while she pressed kisses on his chest, abs, and lower. He spread his long legs further when she tapped his knees lightly with her fingertips. She then traced his tights making him shiver. 

Her hands finally reached the forming tent in his pajama pants and caressed it, feeling him twitch under her fingers. He closed his eye and let his head loll back on the couch, taking a deep breath. When she pulled his pants and boxers down enough to expose his now half hard member to the air he felt the dizzyness disappear. It almost unnerved him how she could make him become putty in under a minute, but he was also secretly glad for it. It meant he trusted her completely.

She looked up at him one last time, just to make sure he wasn’t having any kind of afterthought. The way his face was slightly flushed was enough to spur her on. 

Aranea took one of his hands in hers, pressing a last kiss on his knuckles that made him smile before going down on his manhood. 

First kisses, from the tip to the base, up and down until she felt him becoming a little bit harder. Her hands played with his well groomed hair on his belly and lower abdomen. Then her tongue joined her lips, making his breath hitch every time he felt it touch him. When he was hard enough for her liking, she took his tip in her mouth without a word, eliciting a quiet gasp from him. 

Slowly she took more and more of him in her mouth, bobbing her head up and down. His breath became more labored each time she went down, until he felt the slightly cold tip of her nose touching his lower belly. He fought to suppress a loud moan, balling his fists to his sides and gripping the couch for dear life trying not to move. 

His face was positively red, like his neck and a bit of his broad chest. The sounds he was making were sending little jolts of pleasure down Aranea's spine, but she kept going, ignoring her own increasing need.

Aranea’s hands kept him pinned down from his hips as her speed increased and she hollowed her cheeks and worked with her tongue. It didn’t take long for him to start trembling under her. One of his hands flew to his mouth trying to muffle every pleasure filled noise he was making, but Aranea was having none of it. The more he tried to keep quiet, the faster she went and the deeper he took him. Until her name flew out of his mouth with a strangled shout.

She shot a glance up at him only to be met with the sight of his back arched, hair a disheveled mess, his chest and breath stuttering like he didn’t remember how to breathe. Nice work, she commended herself. It was time to finish him. 

As her rhythm increased, so did Ignis’ moans and gasps, his legs trembling like jelly. She heard him calling for her, pleading her to stop, I’m close, in between his pleasure filled noises, but she kept going on and on, until he couldn’t hold out any longer. 

She felt him throbbing in her mouth and squeezed her eyes as she took him fully one last time to let him come. He did, quivering and shouting as he threw his head back, panting as white hot pleasure filled his mind. 

She swallowed every single drop of his hot essence, relaxing her throat to accommodate him inside. Aranea stayed still until he was finished, then slowly let him out of her mouth. Her own heart was pounding in her head as she took a deep breath and placed her head on his toned abdomen. Her hands started to caress his hips and sides after she cleaned him a bit and tucked him back in his boxers and pajama.

When he came down from his high and noticed her position, his hands immediately went to cup her face and pulled her up again from the floor. She obliged and went to resume her spot on the sofa at his side, but he pulled her again on his lap. Aranea let him, but was caught off guard when he circled her with his strong arms and closed the gap between their lips with his own. 

After the initial surprise, she smiled a bit against his lips as she granted his tongue access. He could taste himself in her mouth and he couldn’t hide a quiet moan. That single noise made her eyes roll in the back of her head. For a moment she’d forgotten her own arousal, but as his hands wandered on her sides the same way she did with him, she was shaken by a powerful shiver. She had to resist though. Even when his hands went lower on her thighs, up again to massage her hips and abdomen. And then finally making their way down between her legs. This was about him, not her, she said she wouldn’t ask for anything in return and she wanted to keep her word. 

Aranea broke the kiss first, slightly breathless, placing her hands on his shoulders. He looked up at her with a mixture of confusion and slight fear, thinking he’d done something wrong. 

“You don’t have to do this.”

“Neither did you, but I want to. That is, if that’s fine with you.” 

His unseeing eye looked at her in a way that made her heart melt. It went directly to her lower regions and she had to bite back a moan, because damn if she wasn’t bothered by what just happened. Her will crumpled in an instant. Of course it was fine by her. Of fucking course. 

Instead of telling him, however, she captured his lips again with hers, sighing softly when she felt his tongue intruding again. 

She held onto him when one of his hands slipped inside her leggings. His fingers grazing gently her folds through her panties that were still in the way. Aranea felt herself blush furiously as she realized she was so wet Ignis could feel it through the fabric. Damn him. 

He didn’t seem to mind. He found her swollen clit and started massaging it with two fingers. Gentle, slow circles, the friction of the fabric, the way he was holding her up on his lap with a hand caressing her lower back, the kisses on the weak spot on her neck. All that combined made her immediately weak to the knees. 

She hid her face in the crook of his neck trying to stifle her moans. She held her breath but failed miserably, her eyes were shut and her hands fisted in his tawny hair. She didn’t even notice how she was rolling her hips trying to feel more. Maybe his finger slipping between her folds and inside her, flexing just right on that spot that made her scream. 

Instead he kept going with his maddening circles on her clit, while she tried to at least grind on him. When she did, she gasped loudly feeling something hard pressing on her sex almost on her entrance. She looked down and couldn’t hide the surprise when she saw a full erection tenting Ignis’ pants. Her reaction made him smirk smugly. The kid had a wonderful recovery time, she had to give him that. 

Her hands slid down his body once again and went to free his member, trembling slightly. Just feeling him hard under her fingers made her want to rip off every single piece of clothing they had on and take him in her. Apparently Ignis wasn’t as eager as she was. He was taking things slowly, just like she did before with him, kissing every inch of skin he could find. She would be lying if she said she didn’t like it. 

She liked it even more when a familiar tightening sensation started building in her lower abdomen. Her hips moved on their own accord, quivering and grinding on his now bare member for more friction. That made both of them groan and Ignis’ hand sped up his movements, set on making her come by just that. He didn’t have to wait too much. 

Aranea gripped his shoulders and threw her head back moaning loudly as she felt her first orgasm surge through her whole body. Ignis waited for her to fully enjoy her pleasure before removing his hand from her sex and laying down on the sofa with her straddling his hips. He let her catch her breath again, her head on his chest, while his hands went for the hem her t-shirt. 

She let him pull it off, shivering slightly when his fingers grazed her still sensitive breasts. Ignis noticed she wasn’t wearing her bra and blushed lightly at the thought. Had she always been without bra? 

He took his time exploring her. His finger wandered on her sides and breasts and nipples, feeling goosebumps appear under his touch while he peppered her lips with gentle kisses.  
She returned every single one of them. 

He finally let his hands slide again on her legs, taking care in pulling down both her leggings and panties. To make things equals, she helped him take off the rest of his pajama too. 

Aranea sat up straight on his member and rolled her hips to grind on him again, but Ignis had other plans. 

He gripped her hips with one hand and with the other positioned himself on her entrance, but didn’t enter right away. He locked eyes with her and waited for her permission before doing anything else. 

Without warning she sank down and took him all in at once, making both of them gasp out in surprise. Ignis’ grip on her hips tightened for a split second. She was so hot, smooth, wet, tight around him he thought he was going to come right there. But he resisted taking a deep breath. 

Aranea on the other hand didn’t even need time to adjust herself. At that point she was still quite sensitive from her first orgasm and she needed it again. That’s why she set a deep, fast pace, rolling her hips to have the tip of his manhood hit her sweetest spot inside as she moved. He met her from under with powerful thrusts upward every time she went down.

They both were panting, sweating, kissing messily, moaning and gasping. Fingernails dug in their skin, shouts filled the air. They held onto each other for dear life, until Ignis sat up and reversed their position.

He pinned her down on the sofa, crushing her with his weight and leaving her breathless. He picked up the pace again. Faster, harder, deeper as he took her legs and bent them over his shoulders. Aranea accepted her fate. She threw back her head and screamed under him as one of his hands went to tease her clit once again. 

She couldn’t take it anymore. Her walls clenched around his member. The waves of her second climax washed over her making her squirm under him and cry out in pure ecstasy. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. 

Ignis lost control of himself when he felt her tighten. He tried hard to work her through her orgasm completely before letting go, but everything was too much. His hips stuttered and he let out a strangled noise between a scream and a grunt as he released his semen in her for the second time. Sheathing himself in her, he gave her another couple of powerful, deep thrusts that made her gasp. 

She bit her lips, enjoying the feeling of him and his hot seed inside her. It flowed a bit out of her, mixing with her own juices, like it did every time. It was possibly the moment she liked the most of the whole thing: being so full of him. Aranea didn’t know if it was just him or in general, but she didn’t care one bit about details. It was good, and she liked it.

They remained still, sensitive and breathless, holding onto each other for minutes, until Ignis slowly let go of her legs and collapsed on his side, not quite sliding out of her yet. She didn’t mind. 

When they both came down from their high, Aranea threw a leg over his hip to lay a bit more comfortably on her side. He instinctively brought her closer with an arm, but in doing so he just slipped again in her, still half hard. Aranea didn’t even notice.

“Thank you.”

“No, thank you, Aranea. You really didn’t have to do it.”

“It was my pleasure, you know I hate seeing you moping around.” 

They both chuckled tiredly letting their forehead touch. The hug they were sharing tightened. It was unspoken, but they cared for each other in such a way nobody could understand nor describe. But they knew, deep down, that it was mutual even though they never acknowledged it out loud. It wasn’t a secret, it just was. 

After a while, they managed to get up and shower. Their cleanliness didn’t last long, because as soon as they laid down on their shared bed they found a second wind, then a third, until they collapsed and fell into the most blissful slumber. 

**Three weeks later**

“You know, perhaps you should schedule a doctor appointment...”

“Shut up mom, it’s just a fucking virus.”

“Ah yes, a virus indeed. One that survives almost two weeks.” 

“Listen will you shut your fucking-“ 

Aranea’s sentence was never finished as she heaved for the nth time in the toiled. She said goodbye to the last remnants of the three cookies and tea she’d eaten that morning. Ignis cringed at the sound, but still sat cross legged at her side, keeping her silver hair out of the way. 

She’d been feeling ill lately, vomiting and generally being even more of an angry harpy, not to talk about her back. She felt it split in two every time she moved. Horrifying. 

It’s gotten to the point where she couldn’t even hold down water and Ignis was rightly worried about her wellbeing. But it wasn’t the dread kind of worry; his sixth sense told him that everything was fine actually, she wasn’t in any danger.

The only danger she could risk being caught into was herself, since she adamantly refused to see a doctor. Or eat anything but crackers, when and if she was hungry. She was losing weight, a lot of it, between vomit and zero appetite. Not even Ignis’ gourmet dishes made her mouth water. Ignis only hoped she would get better soon. 

As he heard her coughing her life out and catching her breath he kind of accepted that ‘soon’ wasn’t quite soon enough. 

“Just once, please. Once. If it’s a virus you win.”

“Oh?” She cleared her throat as she flushed the toilet. “And what comes for me if I win?” 

“Anything you want.” 

“Mh, anything you say? What about... hundred thousand gils?” 

“Deal.” 

The way he immediately accepted the bet made Aranea look up at him with suspicion painted in her eyes. Something was fishy about the thing, Ignis never accepted bets, even if they were joking.

“Wait, are you serious?”

“Absolutely. Hundred thousand gils for you if you win.”

She stared at him for a solid thirty seconds with her eyes narrowed. Another surge of nausea was threatening her, but she willed it down. No way, it might be a bluff. What was he up to?

“And if it’s not a virus you win, correct?”

“Yes.”

“And what do you want if you win?”

“Just the glory of being right.”

Her mouth fell open in a silent gasp of utter confusion. Something was indeed fishy about the bet thing. The fact that he proposed it in the first place was suspicion in and of itself. 

“Alright, what’s up. You got something on your mind, I can see it. Whatcha thinking, if it’s not a virus, then what is it?” 

“How would I know, I’m no doctor.”

“Hyeah spill it Specs, I know you’re thinking of something.”

“It’s just a hypothesis, I might be mistaking.”

“You never are. Now, do I have to throw up on you or are you gonna tell?”

“I would never substitute myself to a competent physician by believing my theories are worth of thought.” 

Aranea scoffed and rolled her eyes resisting the urge to smack him upside the head. Since when had he become so modest about his knowledge? 

“Then how are you so sure it’s not a virus?” 

“I never said I was certain.” 

“But you did bet a hundred thousand gils. Are you gonna play dumb for long? You’d never bet on something if you weren’t sure of winning, I know that for a fact.”

That last remark made Ignis shut up immediately. Aranea noticed how his lips formed a thin line, his brow furrowed. She stared at him triumphantly for a couple of seconds. Then nausea hit her again and she heaved in the toilet. Fortunately she’d never left her spot beside the toilet, so she didn’t make a mess on Ignis like she threatened. He didn’t say anything as he held her hair, combing it back in a messy bun. 

When the nausea subsided, she felt like collapsing on the floor and sleep for weeks. She didn’t even find the strength to let go of the toilet. She sat there panting and holding her head between her hands. 

Aranea had never felt so awful. Almost bleeding to death was pleasant compared to the way her stomach was flipping. She hated throwing up with all her heart. It had happened some other time in her life, probably a bit more times than she cared to admit. 

She remembered one the time she threw up all she’d ever eaten. During her first days as a soldier of fortune she saw a daemon slaughter all his comrades on the way back to the base. More than their guts flying about, what really upset her stomach were the screams, their cries for help. Aranea couldn’t help them. She was outnumbered and still not quite good in combat. The mission had been completed, she had the direct order to withdraw and she left them all behind. She was praised for carrying out the mission. Nobody mentioned her fallen companions. Once she found herself alone in the bathroom her stomach emptied itself. Aranea didn’t cry afterwards. She always justified herself saying that it was because she had been twelve and couldn’t know better.

Then that time Aranea woke up in the middle of an experiment. She didn’t remember a thing about it. Only the panic that filled her seeing one of her legs almost off, the excruciating pain in her head, the sight of another girl tied to a chair out of the corner of her eye that was screaming as a team of scientists tried to keep her still. 

Aranea felt the urge to scream, to kick, but nothing happened. Her leg didn’t respond. The sensation of loss, void, out of control, and then despair, rage, hate filled her to the brim. She just couldn’t make it, the nausea was too strong. But before she could throw up, the anesthesia kicked in once again and she fell in a painless slumber. 

Aranea did, however, vomit when she came back to her senses. Fortunately no one was around, her pride was safe, if she could at least find comfort in that.

The realization of another time she’d felt this horrible hit her like an enraged behemoth. 

She’d thrown up everything when she got pregnant for the first time.

If her head was hurting before, now it was downright exploding. She refused to even acknowledge the thought. But a little voice in her head told her that there was a huge possibility it could be the right intuition. No, there’s no way, they had been trying and it never happened, why now?

How far was she? Would she survive? Would it survive? Was she going to lose it again? If so why even bother? Why..? 

“Aranea,” came a soft whisper from behind her, with an arm gently circling her. She was enveloped in such a warm sensation that a quiet sigh left her lips unwillingly. She hadn’t noticed how cold she was until that very moment. “If you are feeling a bit better, I believe it would be best if you moved onto the bed. You are trembling.” 

She didn’t say a word, not trusting her own voice as she tried to get up on her legs. It would have been a success if her vision didn’t decide to swim and make her lose her balance. Luckily Ignis was right behind her and swoop her up bridal style in one fluid motion. Aranea let her head fall on his shoulder, letting him carry her. 

She hated being weak. Physically weak. But she knew she could be weak around him, because no matter what, he wouldn’t ever judge her. He had always taken care of her. Patched her up even if he couldn’t see the wounds. Given her massages when her back ached. left frozen dishes for her to reheat when she came back from her missions and he was away. And she was ever so grateful for everything. Sometimes Aranea felt like she didn’t deserve a friend like him and tried to go out of her way to do something for him. He’d always reassured her that he too was grateful for her presence and her friendship. 

She never understood how that could be possible. Ignis always said that she was the best person he could ever ask for to be at his side, especially since he’d lost everything. She was what he needed, fierce, blunt, even a bit crass at times, but sincere, honest, unafraid to speak her mind. He’d rarely met someone like that. People usually were afraid of him and avoided him. If they did talk to him, they were always very careful of what they said. They sugarcoated bad news, treated him like some sort of important person that mustn’t be angered or displeased. He hated that with all his heart. The only people who treated him like a friend were Noctis, Gladio and even Prompto. And even them sometimes were a little scared of him in a ‘kids and mom’ way. But he lost them all. Noctis died, sacrificed himself for the world and they split ways, unable to bear the prince- no, king’s absence among them.

When Ignis put her down on the bed and covered her with a soft blanket he left her, saying something about going to make her some tea. Once alone she let go of a breath she didn’t know she was holding and shifted to lay on her side and curl up against the pillows.

The more she thought about that possibility the more dread rose in her heart. What if she lost it again? That was the question that was numbing her mind the most. Aranea didn’t want to go through that kind of pain again. Heck, she wasn’t even sure if she could actually get out alive in case. She was 42, almost 43. Although she still trained and looked like a thirty year old that didn’t mean her body was prepared to carry a child. Or perhaps it was, but what about her? What if she didn’t survive? She knew she was repeating those questions without giving an answer. She wasn't even sure if she was actually pregnant. But her mind was working on its own. 

Aranea didn’t even notice when Ignis sat on the edge of the bed with a mug of hot tea in his hand. They didn’t say a word. Ignis searched for her face with his fingers and caressed her cheek to assess if she was sleeping or not. Aranea noticed him just then. 

She was paralyzed. She wanted to say ‘thank you’ for the tea. Sit up and drink it hoping that she wouldn’t throw it up later. Instead she took his hand from her face and held it, looking at it.

“I know what you’re thinking.” Aranea whispered, tracing small patterns on his wrist. “Don’t get your hopes up, it’s probably not gonna last again.” 

Ignis didn’t say anything, just set the mug on the nightstand and turned to her as he let her play with his fingers. He spoke in a quiet voice, one that always made Aranea warm inside. 

“This time you are not alone.”

Aranea squeezed his hand biting her lower lip and curling on herself. He returned the gesture and laid beside her to let her press her face in his chest.  
He felt her tears damp his shirt as he held her close in the dead silence of the night. 

They went to the doctor the very next day and since then they started going every other week. One day she saw the little jellybean growing inside her. Another he listened to its heartbeat. Another they discovered it was a girl. A little baby girl.


	3. Dawn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pregnancy can be both fun and a little angsty.

The nine months had been eventful to say the least. The first three Aranea was so terrified of losing the baby again that she snapped at anything, anyone, anytime. Poor Ignis dealt with her mood swings with the utmost patience, trying very hard not to be the next cause and victim of her yelling bribing her with food and massages. He didn’t always succeed. 

Aranea and her crazy cravings always got in the way and Ignis couldn’t always keep up. They changed every day and Aranea refused to eat anything but what she wanted. It could have been the most plain bread she could think of or the most complicated dish even Ignis wasn’t sure he could recreate. Hell.

Like that time Aranea was a month and a half in and craved a typical dessert from Nifelheim she couldn’t remember the name of.

“Okay right, you know, the one with all kind of chocolate inside, all mushy... and when you break it all the cream comes out and oh gods it’s so sinful not even Bahamut himself could forgive me.” 

Ignis stared at her with his unseeing eye in complete confusion. It was the tenth time she’d tried to explain what it was and still Ignis couldn’t find a match in his arsenal of recipes. It was kind of unnerving for him. Years of collecting and learning recipes from all around Eos and he didn’t have a clue on what Aranea was talking about. 

“Oh come on four eyes! You of all people should know about it!”

“If you could at least recall the ingredients I could make an attempt at it-“

“I told you! Chocolate, cream, I don’t know what else!” 

Ignis took a deep breath pinching the bridge of his nose. Aranea groaned in frustration as she picked up her phone for the nth time and tried to search online for the recipe. Ignis couldn’t really help with that, since he couldn’t see. Aranea tried her best to describe it to him, but still no bells ringed for him. 

“Ha! Found it!”

“Gods bless. Read the recipe out loud so I can get to work, please.” 

Ignis did his best to follow the instructions and soon enough the damned thing was ready. A delicious aroma of chocolate filled the whole apartment, enough to make Ignis’ stomach growl silently. He wasn’t a chocolate lover, but he had to admit it smelled really inviting.

He prepared a plate and brought it to her. Aranea had gone to sleep at some point, or better, she had passed out on the couch out of boredom while her dessert was in the oven. 

Ignis kneeled and placed the plate right under her nose, trying to wake her with the strong perfume of the chocolate. 

She moaned in delight coming to her senses and opened her eyes. Her unfocused gaze was met by the sight of a smiling Ignis, holding a fuming plate of the dessert she craved and she couldn’t help the satisfied smile that curved her lips. 

“You’re so my favorite boy, ya know that?”

“I wouldn’t be here otherwise.”

Aranea snorted as she got up and took the plate from his hand.

“Damn right.” 

Ignis smiled and took his seat beside her, finally getting some rest. He waited for her to taste it with a slight gut fear. Shiva damn him if it wasn’t exactly how she wanted it, he’d prefer strolling in the snow at night completely naked.

Then a soft crunchy noise reached his ears. He arched an eyebrow and instinctively turned his head, trying to find a possible source. After a moment it was quite clear that it was Aranea munching on something. He was sure the dessert he’d prepared was one of the soft kind. So what was that? Had he burned it and not noticed? What if she didn’t like it? Or her craving had changed during her nap? 

Ignis hoped for the best. 

Fortunately Aranea answered his unspoken questions without even batting a lash.

“I wanted cookies first. Don’t give me that look or I’ll start craving another dessert soon.”

At first Ignis didn’t catch her meaning and stared at her in a mixture of outrage and utter confusion. 

When Aranea chuckled and nonchalantly shifted to sit directly on his lap it downed on him. He blushed bright red and reached to adjust his visor, even though he wasn’t wearing it. He never did at home. 

Aranea laughed at his reaction as she ate her cookies and relaxed on him. He took her in his arms, it was her favorite spot. 

She always felt at home when Ignis held her close. She loved when he talked and she could feel the rumble in his chest, it sounded like a cat purring. Sometimes she pet him and cooed until he’d start laughing. That was also one of her favorite sounds he made. 

Since the pregnancy started Aranea had found herself needing that kind of attention more often than not. 

At night she scooted over as close as she could to him and hugged him from behind. Ignis never seemed bothered by it, on the contrary. Sometimes _he_ was the one sliding closer to either hug or be hugged. 

Other times they laid awake for hours because of her terrible headaches. When she felt one incoming she had to lay down and Ignis had to prepare a cup of something hot and pills. Then he would lie next to her until the pain subsided and she went back to sleep.

Then again sometimes her _physical_ needs weren’t only made of soft cuddles under a blanket, especially during the first trimester. 

Like that time Ignis came home from work and was greeted by an apparently over-excited Aranea jumping on him and tackling him on the ground. 

“Hello handsome~”

Ignis grunted when he made contact with the floor and stared at her with his milky green eye filled with surprise and a bit of concern. She sounded a lot like a cat purring and meowing to get more food from his owner and Ignis didn’t know if he liked that or not. Yet. 

When he felt her lips press gently on his scarred cheek, followed by a light nuzzling on his neck, he decided he definitely liked it. It seemed like she was in one of her cuddly moods. 

A chuckle escaped him as he brought his hands in her long untied hair, kissing her back on the cheek.

“Hello to you. Dare I assume you missed me?”

Aranea scoffed at his smug smirk and rolled her eyes, resuming her kisses and nuzzling on his neck.

“Shut up, asshole.”

She did indeed miss him. That only made his smirk widen.

“Make me.”

A fake outraged gasp reached his ears and he laughed, earning a light slap on his chest. 

“Ain’t someone sassy today? I should really make you shut up for a while...”

Ignis didn’t see the mischievous grin forming on her face, that’s why he let his hands fall from her hair and land on her hips, chuckling. 

Her hips were becoming a bit softer, he noticed. Ignis secretly wished for the day she would actually start showing her belly. Just imagining the softness made his heart swell. Aranea had always been muscular, tight, and he liked it, but imagine hugging her small frame soft like a plush during the cold nights. Better.

“And how would you do that?”

“Mh... I could tape your cute foul mouth, but you’re way too smart to consider it a setback.”

“Therefore..?”

“I could make you say something else.” 

In Ignis’ head a couple of bells rang hearing her tone dropping and reaching that special note she used in _very_ particular occasions, but he casted the idea aside. She’d been fretting over the pregnancy and did almost nothing in fear of stressing her body too much, so why would she be suggesting that? She must have been flirting a bit, like she always did when bored.

“As in?”

“My name.”

His eyebrows shot up in amusement and surprise. Okay. Maybe she was very bored. He played along.

“Really?”

“Mh mh~” 

“And why would I say your name?”

How he wished he’d never asked. She leaned on his chest, one of her hand slithering inside the collar of his shirt and gently raking her fingernails on his pulse, her lips mere inches from his ear; her voice barely above a whisper.

“Would you prefer calling me ‘mistress’, darling? Perhaps ‘Yes, please mistress’ could sound better?” 

His lips fell open and his face burned bright red. Maybe she wasn’t kidding. 

Where did she learn that thing though?! They never engaged in _that_ sort of play during their love making, because that’s exactly what they did: made love. 

They were both kind of shy when it came to sex. Aranea because, except for Ignis, she had never had other experiences; Ignis simply wasn’t that interested in sex and its variations. He knew about kinks and things, but never felt the urge or desire to do anything too explicit anyway. Especially considering how little Aranea knew on the topic, even after all those years.

Aranea’s chuckle brought him back from his embarrassed trance. Only to have him bite back an undignified yelp when he felt her hips grinding on his lap. 

Oh she was definitely not joking. 

“W-Wait are you sure? We shouldn’t engage in these sort of activities if you’re not feeling-“

“I’m fine four eyes, thank you for your concern. Now be a good boy and indulge me?”

Asking so explicitly to have sex was a new thing per se. Asking for a new “kind” of sex was a real event. 

Ignis was about to protest again, but the way she was kissing his perfectly shaven jaw, opening his shirt one button at time and caressing his slowly more exposed chest made him black out. Enough for her to gain control of the situation. 

In less than five minutes he was completely at her will, naked under her, his hands tied together to the headrest of the bed with her favorite ribbon, trying his best not to be too loud. Aranea was having none of it and used her newfound “power” to make her good boy scream. 

By the end of it they were both moaning and shouting so loudly Ignis was _certain_ he couldn’t show his face around for at least a couple of days. He found out he didn’t really mind if the way Aranea was moving on him and screaming his name in between praises and expletive was the cause. Absolutely worth it. 

___________ 

 

As time passed Aranea calmed down, especially after the doctor said that she was fine, the baby was fine and everything would be fine if she tried to reduce the stress she was putting herself under. Ignis was ever so grateful. Still, sometimes she yelled at him anyway. He suspected she just particularly liked yelling at him, but he let her. 

When her belly started to show, she spent her time avoiding touching it and moving too much in fear of breaking something. Ignis had noticed her behavior and tried to talk her into at least touching it once. It was important she got used to it, there was her kid inside after all. Also Ignis was dying to touch it, but gods damn him if he was going to admit it.

That’s why a couple of weeks and a lot of talking later they sat on the bed, Aranea a nervous mess, Ignis behind her so she was leaning on his chest with her back. 

She let him guide her hand on the swell of her belly. When her hand made contact she felt like jumping away if only Ignis hadn’t been holding her and whispering soft words of encouragement.

After a good while, she smiled and felt a bit more comfortable. So comfortable that since the very next day one of her hands was always placed on her abdomen. Ignis was proud of her progress. 

But things had to happen.

One night Aranea suddenly woke up with painful contractions. She was only six months in, it was too soon, and she almost, almost risked losing it. Ignis remembered that night clearly. 

They were sleeping, he was curled up to her side with an arm thrown over her and his face buried in the crook of her neck. She was laying on her back because of her grown abdomen, her cheek lightly resting on his forehead. 

It started as a quiet discomfort in her chest, Aranea didn’t even stir. Then a sharp feeling jolted through her body, like a spear tearing its way in her abdomen, and made her wake up with a start. It lasted a split second. She shot her eyes open and waited for the dull pain to subside, not too much worried. Perhaps it was just a dream, she thought.

Oh, how wrong she was. 

Just as sleep was coming to get her again, another surge of pain exploded in her core, knocking the wind out of her lungs. 

One hand flew to her belly clutching it for dear life, her teeth clenched, dread pooling in her chest. She must have made some kind of noise, because Ignis too was awake and jolting up in a sitting position to hover over her. 

When the answer to his worried question was a hand gripping hard on his biceps and labored breath, he lost no more time and called the hospital. 

Aranea was classified as a high risk pregnancy and put on forced bedrest till the end of the nine months. Somehow her waters had been almost broken, but the doctors managed to intervene before it was too late. 

They later discovered that she’d developed preeclampsia, thus also explaining her chronic headaches that made her go insane.

It was a miracle she and the baby survived till the end. Aranea powered through it with such a brave face, such determination even if she was secretly terrified. 

Ignis was always at her side when her will sometimes waned, giving her courage and lifting her spirit with silly stories for the baby, music, plans for the homecoming.

 

One of the things Ignis loved doing was feeling the baby kick under his hand. Aranea let him do it whenever he wanted, because she adored the sensation of his warm hand gliding on her sensitive belly. It made her feel at peace for some time. He was always gentle, never putting pressure, and always making sure he left a teeny tiny kiss where he last felt the baby kick.  
It was his baby too, after all. His baby girl. 

They discussed names after discovering the sex. Aranea dissuaded Ignis from calling her Luna, like his king’s beloved -he would have tried to call him Noctis if it were a boy-, because she didn’t want the kid growing up with such a heavy name. 

Lunafreya had been indeed a great woman, the Oracle, with such a long history and burden on her shoulder to inspire the chosen king and help him restore the light. Aranea didn’t want her baby girl to think she had to prove something because of her namesake. Ignis agreed in the end.

After some thought they decided she would be called Aurora. Their little light, their miracle.  
She wasn’t even born and they both loved her to pieces. 

The last days of her pregnancy had probably been the worst of all. Aranea was excited to finally be able to get up again soon, but she couldn’t help to let a bit of fear take the best of her. Things could still go wrong. At that point, however, she wasn’t fearing for her own life. She spent many nights thinking about the possible outcomes until she couldn’t keep it in her head anymore.

She confessed to Ignis one night, before he fell asleep. She told him that, if anything happens, if their lives were in danger, he had to pick Aurora over her. Aranea made him swear it. She didn’t even listen to his protests, (“Even if Aurora survives and you die, how do you expect a blind man to take care of her? She needs you, not me, don’t even think about dying now.”), she shut him up making him see reason. 

She was an old woman, her organs could fail at any moment because of that preeclampsia thing she’d gotten, her body had been altered ages ago and wasn’t ‘normal’. 

Ignis tried to counter saying that if anything they could always try again in the future, but Aranea would have none of it. (“Just think how many years did it take to even get pregnant. And we never used protection. This is probably the last and only chance I have.”) 

Again she demanded that if he had to choose between her and Aurora, he must save the baby.  
Ignis stayed silent for a long moment.

He didn’t want to choose. Both Aranea and Aurora were important for him, her best friend, the mother of his first child, and his unborn baby girl. 

He tried to picture his life without Aranea for a moment. 

Unbearable. Not anymore, at least. He had no one else left, he couldn’t give her up too.

But he’d have Aurora, the reminder of their time together, their child, born out of love -because they loved each other, even if they never committed, even if it was a kind of love they wouldn’t call romantic. It was the purest kind of love, the care they had for each other, how they’d grown fond of one another day by day, they came together out of necessity and they never left, they never would, till the end of their days-. 

Aurora would grow up with him. He’d never see her face, but he would picture her as the most beautiful creature on Eos, with long, light blonde hair, green grass eyes like her mother’s, her little voice sounding a lot like Aranea’s. 

She would grow up hearing stories about her mother, Ignis would tell her everything, every little thing that came to his mind, about the most beautiful, fierce, kind, strong woman he’d ever met in his life. He’d tell her how much she loved her even before she was born, how much she waited for her, how much she wanted her and how much she would be proud of her little girl if she were there. 

Ignis wasn’t a man to cry easily in front of someone, but oh if the mere thought of losing Aranea didn’t hit him hard on his heart. 

The final blow was dealt when her slender fingers found his forever scarred cheek and she said one small word, so little, so heavy.

“Please.” 

He bowed his head finally breaking down after holding out for so, so long.

Hot, heavy tears streamed down his face, sobs making it hard to breathe, don’t you dare, don’t you dare, I don’t want to, I can’t choose, I won’t, you’ll live, you both will because I say it. 

Aranea let him cry, let him say whatever he wanted, she waited patiently for him to calm down without making a sound. 

Although in the dark, tears were sliding down her cheeks too. 

She hated seeing him like that, but she understood and let him be. He had always been strong, always analytical, calm, collected, even in the worst situations. Aranea couldn’t blame him if he broke down like that. 

He cried his heart out, she wiped away his tears; his sobs and heavy breathing were the only sounds in the room for a while. Aranea held him close, he held her for dear life like a frightened child to his mother. Ironic, but it was good, it was fine. Better then than later. 

Eventually the tears stopped flowing, if because he felt better or because he didn’t have any left, nobody knew. 

Silence fell in the room, until she heard him say what she’d been demanding: I promise. But on one condition: she had to fight to survive.

Aranea smiled, a sad smile, relieved, and agreed. Like hell she was going to abandon her child so easily. Someone had to teach her how to out-sass her father. 

They both chuckled at that. And they fell asleep soon after in each other’s arms, never letting go.

_______ 

The fateful hour arrived when neither of them expected it. Well, they did, but not in the dead of the night. 

At first Aranea thought it was a false alarm again, but as she felt the pain increasing by the minute she knew the time had come.

She woke Ignis up, telling him with the utmost calm to go and fetch the doctor or the nurse. He tried to do so as calmly as she was. No point in freaking out. Plus, it was a joyful moment: their Aurora was ready to come out.

All the while, in between contractions, they cracked jokes between them and the nurses. 

The air was soon filled with laughter at Ignis’ bad puns, Aranea sassing him when she caught her breath; all was going smoothly. 

They talked about anything and everything, exchanged stories, funny ones, bedtime stories to tell the baby, legends, their favorite films, games, music, plus an obvious round of “you look so cute together” “oh, we’re not... we’re friends! Good friends!”. How embarrassing. Fortunately nobody questioned them further on the subject.

Aranea didn’t even feel that tired or in pain, even if it had been a couple of hours of labor already. 

Until the last minutes. To be sure, they proposed a c-section but Aranea disagreed, stating that she didn’t want to spend another minute bedridden. She knew the risks and was willing to take them, suddenly feeling extremely confident and bold. 

They gave her painkillers to dull the pain and for the first minutes it worked. It was time to push and she did, taking a deep breath. Once, twice, three times. She never screamed, biting her lips in concentration and holding Ignis’ hand. 

He was a bit pale and was bouncing his leg nervously, but he still smiled at her and encouraged her, his voice soothing and his words so sweet. 

Then, just after another contraction, she felt all the pain without filter. Her grip on Ignis tightened a very loud yelp escaped her lips and she muffled it with her other hand before she could scream, still adamant in being quiet. She didn’t have the time to catch her breath, because another load of pain surged through her whole body. 

Her reaction was involuntary. She arched her back and tried to close her legs, but the doctors were already at work. 

The pain was numbing. Aranea could barely make out what Ignis was saying to her, his hand in hers, the doctors speaking around her. 

She just heard her own labored breath, feel the sweat damping her skin, her head throbbing; at some point her vision was filled with dots, breathing was difficult and she was tired. Tired as hell. 

The anesthetic has worn off sooner than anticipated. That wasn’t something to be too surprised about, it was due to her body being modified. When she was little they had filled her with any sort of drug and weird looking liquid until she adapted and her body could process them as fast as it could. This was no exception.

Aranea remembered the promise she had made to Ignis. 

She glanced down for a moment at her belly, trying to focus on it, a hand going to cover it. Her little girl was in there and she needed to get her out. It was just a lot of pain, nothing else. She could survive. They both could. She’d been through worse.

She gritted her teeth and threw her head back as she pushed again and again with renewed strength. 

‘Just get out, get out and we can go home.’ Aranea repeated in her mind, or so she thought, she wasn’t sure if she was talking or not.

It went on forever, but she was strong, driven and resisted. She was a warrior, she’d taken down beasts ten times bigger than her, she’d survived horrible experiments, hell, she survived a miscarriage, this was nothing. Nothing compared to what she’d gone through, she would survive. Even only out of pure stubbornness.

One last push, the last painful moment. 

Everything stopped.

The pain, the noises, the fear. The only thing she heard was a distant wail, a little unfocused red figure out of the corner of her eye. 

Was that her Aurora? She was so small... she wanted to see her up close. Her baby was crying, what mother wouldn’t run to them? 

Aranea was tired though. 

So tired. 

Her eyes felt so heavy, her whole body was numb, her vision spotted and unreliable.

She heard someone call her name, probably Ignis, but she couldn’t bring her head to turn towards him. 

Every breath made her mind feel lighter, until she felt no more. 

The whole world went black. 

________

 

She woke up after what seemed a second for her. 

Her eyes opened and focused on a white ceiling. 

Aranea felt warm, well rested, her body needed a bit of stretching though. 

She stirred, yawning lightly. She felt a bit of discomfort between her legs, but she paid no mind to it. She did pay attention to something though, someone to be precise. 

A smile tugged at her lips when she saw Ignis at her side, asleep on a chair with his face pressed in the mattress hidden by his crossed arms. 

Always at her side. He seemed to be into a such deep sleep he didn’t notice her moving on the bed. Poor guy, running himself ragged at all times. 

Aranea considered going back to sleep, but just as she was closing her eyes a nurse came in and silently approached her bed.

“Good morning miss Highwind,” he whispered, so not to disturb Ignis probably. “Please do try to stay awake, we wouldn’t want you to fall back in a coma.”

Aranea’s eyebrow twitched in surprise. 

“Coma?” She cleared her throat, suddenly realizing how sore and hoarse it was. Fortunately the nurse had her back and offered her a glass of water that she gladly drained.

“Yes, you passed out right after giving birth, then your kidneys failed and we had to treat them putting you under a general anesthesia. Risky, but had to be done or you would have died. You’ve been out for hours.” 

“Heh, cool.” Then it hit her like a bus, dread immediately rising. “Where’s Aurora?” 

“Your daughter is in the nursery, she’s a bit underweight but fine. You’ll be able to see her in a short while, we need to make sure _you’re_ fine too.”

Aranea couldn’t say she was happy, but neither too displeased. She wanted to see her daughter, regardless of her own state. She needed to check for herself Aurora was actually fine. 

But instead of darting out of the room like she wanted, she nodded and let the nurse do his work. 

“How about him?”

She asked after a while, looking at the still fast asleep Ignis. It was very weird, usually he would have been up by then with all the moving around him.

The nurse smiled as he continued to check on her, stealing a glance to Ignis.

“You’re a very lucky lady to have him near. He was so terrified when you passed out, but instead of freaking out he gave us a very useful hand. He _was_ shaking all the while though. He never left your side, just once he wasn’t with you because he was in the nursery checking on your daughter. He even held her for a bit while we were restoring your kidneys. When we brought you back to your room he was so torn between staying with the baby or running back here, but we decided for him. Your little girl needs to be under surveillance for a while, he couldn’t stay. Then he sat there and didn’t fall asleep until we assured him you were stable and you would make it.”

Aranea listened to the nurse and shook her head, chuckling softly. 

This man, really. So grown up and he loses himself in a glass of water sometimes. 

She thanked the nurse when he finished checking up on her and once she was alone again she took her time to let things sink in. 

 

She had survived. 

The pregnancy and childbirth. 

The baby- Aurora survived too. 

Ignis was still at her side. 

She was a mother. 

The mother of a beautiful girl, she had to raise her, take care of her, teach her how to walk, how to speak, how to read, how to write, how to live.

And she wouldn’t be alone, because Ignis was there.

Ignis was a father. 

Aurora’s father, her best friend that agreed to make her happy. 

He took an enormous responsibility on his shoulders, he fathered a child that wasn’t from someone he chose to spend his whole life with. 

They were friends, very good friends, but never pledged themselves to each other, they were never exclusive. 

And yet, neither of them was used not to live with the other anymore. 

 

Aranea had lost everything since the sun rose again.

Her only two friends, Biggs and Wedge, had returned to Gralea soon after dawn broke, her men were discharged since war was over and they didn’t have to hunt daemons anymore. 

Ignis had lost his family in the fall of Insomnia. He never talked about it much, but Aranea knew he had grieved a lot after the fall. 

Aranea never actually had a family. Not in the proper sense at least. But now...

She caught a movement out of the corner of her eye, Ignis who was stirring. Probably tired because of the uncomfortable position he was sleeping in. 

A warm smile painted her lips while a hand went through his disheveled hair. Cute.

He jumped a bit from the unexpected contact, but recovered immediately.

“Aranea, you’re awake.”

His voice was so full of relief that Aranea couldn’t help but chuckle. Her sweet Ignis. Always worried.

“Of course I am four eyes, you thought I was done for?”

“I- uh.. well, you didn’t really... you weren’t in the best conditions...”

“What did I tell you, Specs? I couldn’t just leave my daughter with you, who would have taught her how to sass you?” 

Ignis laughed. Straight up laughed, letting his head fall on the mattress again. A nervous laugh of course, Aranea knew that. That’s why she let him be, kneading her hand in his hair to let him know she was still living, breathing, right at his side. 

Aranea was glad he was there, holding her hand.

A light chuckle escaped her lips as he took her hand from his hair and gently started placing kisses to her knuckles, fingers, palm, wherever he could reach. Aranea tried to caress his face in return to let him know she was still awake. Poor guy was blind, she had to reassure him somehow.

In the end he let out a breath and stopped his trail of kisses for a moment, holding her hand like his life depended on it.

“I really thought you would never wake up...”

“Have a bit of faith in me Specs, I’m here, aren’t I?”

“Yes, yes you’re right...”

“Damn straight I’m right. Now will you quit moping or do I have to smack that ugly face of yours? I’m not dead.” 

A quiet chuckle escaped his lips again and he nodded, finally smiling relieved. 

That was his Aranea, who loved him and showed it by keeping him with his feet on the ground with tactless comments when his mind threatened to take him to dark places. He wouldn’t change it for anything in the world. 

Their little moment was interrupted by a door opening and a soft wail reaching their ears. They both turned their head as the nurse approached the bed with a bundle of blankets in his arms and even if Ignis couldn’t see it, he smiled knowing what would happen next. Aranea, on the other hand, suddenly felt her nerve tense. 

“Sorry to interrupt, but your little lady here needs her mother.” He said standing at Aranea’s side, ready to give the baby to her. “Are you ready?” 

He asked smiling, but it didn’t ease her rising tension.

Aranea unconsciously tightened her hold on Ignis’ hand. That didn’t go unnoticed and Ignis’ smile immediately faltered. 

Was she afraid? He knew it could happen, the mother rejecting her own child, but he didn’t really see that coming from Aranea. Or maybe hee should have, on second thought. After all she’d been through, it was almost a necessary consequence, but then again this was no ordinary mother: This was Aranea Highwind. And as such, she was full of surprises.

She wordlessly let go of Ignis’ hand, although a bit shakily, and sat up on the bed straighter crossing her legs. It was very uncomfortable because of the bandages, but the two men helped her. 

She extended her arms towards the nurse and he gently placed the wailing baby into her hands, never letting go until he was sure she wouldn’t drop her. 

Aranea’s features were contracted in a serious expression, she was biting her lower lip discreetly, but the rest of her body was visibly shaking. Even more so when the little girl was completely in her arms. 

So small, so fragile, Aranea held her breath in fear of breaking her. 

Her heart was beating furiously as she used one of her hands to open her nightgown and expose one of her breasts, absolutely ignoring the fact that the nurse was still there. He probably had already seen her naked anyway, no point in being shy. 

Her eyes filled of terror were fixed on the hungry little creature flailing and wailing in her arms. 

To think that not even a day prior that small thing was inside her. 

Now was in her arms, searching for her, calling desperately, and Aranea was frozen. 

Her breath caught in her throat when very small, warm lips latched suddenly to her nipple, starting to suck on it. 

A shiver ran down her spine, her hold on the baby tightened for a split second, until Ignis, dear soul, sensing her tension sat down beside her on the bed and placed a hand on her shoulder. The nurse checked on both mother and daughter one last time before excusing himself and leaving them alone.

Neither of them spoke for a while as the little Aurora fed happily on her mother’s breast, her tiny fingernails clawing Aranea’s chest. Aranea didn’t even notice it, too caught up in staring , at her daughter. Not even the soothing circles Ignis was drawing on her back were helping her to relax, so he was the first to break the silence with a whisper.

“Is everything alright?” 

Aranea didn’t answer straight away. 

Was she alright? Physically, yes, she felt amazing. 

If he alluded to the sense of something constraining her lungs and heart, then it was another story. 

Every heartbeat was painful, every breath felt like there wasn’t enough air for her. 

What’s wrong with me, she wondered. 

She should be in seventh heaven, the pregnancy was over, Aurora was born and she could stand up again.

They both were alive and well, Aurora was beautiful with her vibrant green eyes and her cute little nose, her small lips that looked a lot like Ignis’ and the few strands of white blonde hair on her tiny head. Ignis was there with them, all was perfect. 

Then why did she feel so uncomfortable? 

“I... don’t know. Gods, she’s so small, Ignis... and beautiful, she has your eye color, you know? And she’s so fragile, I... what if I break her..”

“Aranea, calm down,” he interrupted her with the most hushed tone he could muster. “I am sure you will not break her, she will be fine, she is your daughter after all: she will be resistant just like you.”

“And you. She’s also your daughter.” 

At that was Ignis’ cue to tense a little.

Yes, he had thought about it- he was a father now-, but it still sounded weird. He did learn how to care for a child growing up with Noctis but this wasn’t the same. 

He’d met Noctis when they were a lot older than newborns and, although he had listened to some audiobooks about infants, he still felt a bit uneasy at the thought. 

Not to mention that Aranea acknowledging the fact that he was Aurora’s father and she her mother was an out of body experience. Perhaps Ignis understood why she was so tense. 

Nevertheless, someone had to stay strong. Aranea had been through hell and back, she needed to rest a bit, to be ‘weak’ for a while and he would be proud of being her rock. 

In the end he smiled and scoffed softly, blushing slightly and feeling with a finger for Aurora. Aranea helped him find her little hand and they both chuckled as the tiny fingers wrapped around his while she continued feeding.

“That is why you have nothing to worry about then. A bit of you, a bit of me, Aurora will be fine. And you too. We all will be fine. One step at the time.”

It could be done after all, Ignis was right. They could do it. Baby steps. They had wanted it in the first place because, among the other things, they knew it was something they both could handle together. 

It was something they both needed too, deep down.

Ignis needed a new purpose after Noctis, a way to move on and become Ignis Scientia. 

Aranea needed a family, someone to care for, redeem herself, and become Aranea Highwind.

In raising Aurora, they knew they could find what they were looking for. They were a family, a bit unorthodox but still a family. Not alone, together, helping and loving each other unconditionally.

Fears aside, their hearts were swelling with pride, joy, excitement for the new life they created and was about to begin with their Aurora.

Meanwhile, outside, dawn was breaking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And it’s over! I’m sorry it took so long to update, I had a bit of trouble editing... 
> 
> Thank you to whoever put up with this story and left kudos, it’s very much appreciated <3 
> 
> Also! Aurora comes from Latin and means dawn! (See what I did there? : ^) I’m a sad person)
> 
> Let me know what you think! See you next time~ And of course, happy one year anniversary, Final Fantasy XV❤️❤️❤️


End file.
